Wistey Finishes 34th at NCAA Championships

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – In her NCAA Championship debut, Iowa State’s Imelda Wistey raced to the wall in a time of 1:01.14, finishing 34th in the 100 breaststroke today at the University Aquatics Center. Seeded eighth in her heat, Wistey outpaced expectation by placing fourth.

According to Iowa State heading swimming coach Duane Sorenson, Wistey rose to the challenge of the toughest competition in the world.

“This is just an incredible meet – the world’s fastest meet for women. It’s better than the Olympics,” Sorenson said. “At the Olympics you don’t have all of the fastest women in the world, just a few of the fastest from each country.”

While Wistey missed her goal of advancing to finals in the 100 breaststroke, the Cyclone senior posted one of the best performances of her career.

“I’m very proud of her performance. She went out and swam the second-fastest time of her life and really stuck to the race plan,” Sorenson said. “She was a little disappointed that she didn’t get a personal best and score in the meet, but she competed really well.”

With a top-16 finish at the front of her mind, Wistey will have another chance to clinch her goal as she returns to the pool for the 200 breaststroke preliminary heats at 11 a.m. tomorrow.